After construction of a storage battery it is necessary to activate the battery by the addition of an atmosphere sensitive electrolyte. Battery components must not be exposed to an uncontrolled atmosphere since electrolyte absorbs moisture during even short periods of exposure to the atmosphere, with consequent degradation of the performance of the battery. In order to avoid exposure of the electrolyte to atmosphere during the activation process, it is customary to perform all work relating to the activation process, in a controlled atmosphere. Specifically, batteries are positioned in a glove box regulated to less than 25 ppm moisture, the batteries are activated by the addition of electrolyte, and the batteries are sealed and thereafter removed from the glove box. After a period of time, usually within one week, the batteries are again positioned in the controlled atmosphere of the glove box, opened to allow the gas that has built up to escape, and then resealed. This prior art activation process, while generally satisfactory with respect to achieving satisfactory activation of the battery, is both time consuming and tedious. Specifically, in a mass production environment it is necessary to constantly bring materials into and out of the glove box while maintaining a carefully controlled atmosphere in the glove box.